UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA (ROSEMOUNT RESEARCH CENTER)

EPA ID# MND980613780
Last Updated: February, 2013

Site Description

The University of Minnesota Rosemount Research Center (UMRRC) site is located in the City of Rosemount, in Dakota County, Minnesota, approximately 15 miles south of the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area. Approximately 22,000 people currently live in the City of Rosemount. The site was described at the time of listing on National Priorities List (NPL) as the UMRRC property covering approximately 12 square miles. During the remedial investigation, site boundaries for the response action under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) were clarified to encompass specific smaller areas. The UMRRC property is owned by the University of Minnesota and used primarily as an agricultural research station. The areas of the site included in the CERCLA cleanup includes groundwater related to a former burn pit area operated by the University and soils related to three disposal areas resulting from the operations of tenants, including: George's Used Equipment, Porter Electric and Machine Company, and U.S. Transformer. These areas are located within a larger area known as UMore Park. The uppermost groundwater is present at a depth of approximately 50 feet and generally flows to the northeast where it discharges to the Mississippi River approximately five miles from the site.

Site Responsibility

This site iwas addressed by the University of Minnesota under State oversight. The site is part of the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Enforcement Deferral Pilot Agreement with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and MPCA continues to be the lead agency for the site, as well as the lead agency for investigation and future cleanup of other areas of the UMRRC, including the area known as UMore Park.

Threats and Contaminants

Cleanup Progress

The University of Minnesota and the MPCA signed a Response Order by Consent in 1985 under the Minnesota Superfund law. The record of decision (ROD), dated June 29, 1990, documents the selection of a groundwater pump and treatment system as the remedy for contaminated groundwater; offsite disposal of lead, copper, and PCB-contaminated soil that could not be economically separated from lead and copper-contaminated soil; and onsite thermal desorption with fume incineration of other PCB-contaminated soil.

In 1988, based on new toxicological information, the health-based drinking water guideline for chloroform was raised from 1.9 to 57 parts per billion (ppb). Since the concentration of chloroform in all residential wells was below 57 ppb, the drinking water advisories issued to 27 Rosemount residences were not necessary; however, the university chose to provide a community water supply with distribution lines to these residences. Construction began in 1989 and was completed in 1991. MPCA approved pump and treatment system shutdown in October 1991.

In 1990, the university disposed of 4,384 tons of lead/PCB-contaminated soil in Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and/or Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) landfills. Removal of high levels of copper was associated with the removal of this lead-contaminated soil. An additional 100 cubic yards of lead-contaminated soil was removed to an approved landfill in 1993. A total of approximately 7,000 cubic yards of PCB-contaminated soil was burned in the thermal destruction unit. Soil containing low levels of PCBs and ash from the incinerator were placed in an onsite containment unit, which was covered and vegetated. All construction was completed in June 1996.

The most recent Five-Year Review of the site was completed in 2012. The review concluded that the groundwater remedy was protective of human health and the environment because the community rural water supply was implemented and groundwater does not exceed health risk-based levels for site-related contaminants (there are some exceedances for nitrogen, likely agricultural-related). The soil remedies were also determined to be protective of human health and the environment in the short-term, but the review recommended that several actions be taken, including addressing a small area of remaining contaminated soil related to the former Georges Used Equipment area. The MPCA is working with the University to address the recommendations made in the five-year review.

Property Reuse

Future use of the areas subject to the CERCLA cleanup is restricted. However, the larger UMore Park area is the subject of significant planning for future reuse, following appropriate investigation and cleanup as needed, under the oversight of MPCA.